I happened to see a wildlife officer at Cabela's and asked if it was alright to shoot the bear since it was after our livestock. He said, Absolutely not! They're protected.
He wasn't behind a railing from the way the story reads. The bear was on the second floor with him.Wow, they charged him. I wonder if the railing was really high or something and he wasn't in danger? If not, then this Sheriff's actions are a good reason for me not to spend my money by going to Gatlinburg...
I'm surprised they didn't charge him with shooting the bear. They're real protective of bears. We had a bear come on our property over a couple of days and do some damage, including eating one of our chickens. I happened to see a wildlife officer at Cabela's and asked if it was alright to shoot the bear since it was after our livestock. He said, Absolutely not! They're protected. Just chase it off. I was like, uh-huh. And thinking, you've just told what I would need to do, in case I doesn't scare off.
Well if a bear gets to within 3 or 4 feet I'm bluffin it in the head.
Naaaah, smoke that varmint and then go all Atticus Finch on them if you're charged!I've often wondered about what would happen in my town if a rabid coyote comes down the street and there are kids playing. In any other world that isn't INSANE, I would shoot the dog to protect the kids. In this INSANE world, I would have to weigh whether or not I should let the coyote actually bite on of the kids first in order to garner some sympathy from the law and maybe not get charged for discharging a firearm within city limits.
There are billions more humans than bears. I'll go with the bear.
Bears are notorious for bluff charges but black bears can be down right mean when they get habituated to people, trash, and food. Throw a barking dog into the mix and the fight is on. Gatlinburg, Asheville, and other areas where city folks have moved into bear country and hate hunting and firearms are the source of the problem.
I've had bears bluff charge me on several occasions and they always stopped at 2 or 3 feet. They probably got a whiff of my drawers at that point.